Thin Mint Sheet Cake

The problem with layer cakes is that beauty often takes the place of function. They have to be gorgeous, so we pile on way too much frosting or fondant and then decorate the whole shebang. A sheet cake, however, is the perfect ratio of cake to frosting (or in this case, icing). The cake is the star, not its good looks.

And it definitely doesn’t hurt that this one is topped with chopped Thin Mints. America’s favorite Girl Scout cookie is ready for her moment in the sun!

When I was a kid, sheet cakes meant birthdays. My mom is not the most enthusiastic baker, so she would take a Duncan Hines cake mix (the brand is known as “Uncle Duncan” in my family), put it into a sheet cake pan, and cover it with ready-made frosting. She also bought those sugar letters you get in the cake aisle and put them on our cakes.

I loved it. While the grown-up me tends to make fancy layer cakes for birthdays, I’ve never lost that soft spot for a sheet cake in a pan. They’re simplicity itself.

The problem with a chocolate cake is that it’s simply too addictive. I like to put the cake in the fridge once it cools and then once it’s chilled, everyone attacks it. Open season on cake! Did you ever see that Sex and the City episode where Miranda bakes a chocolate cake? She spends the entire episode eating way more of it than she wants to, and the whole thing ends with her dumping the cake in the trash and covering it with dish soap.

I always feel sad when Miranda destroys the cake, but I understand it. A layer cake is too decadent to munch on for any length of time. But you can cut sliver after sliver off a sheet cake and never get tired of it.

If you’re a regular reader here on JAB, you know that mint is not my favorite. But I can’t resist baking with Thin Mints for everyone else. They get so excited when they realize that not only is there a baked good in sight, but that it also contains one of their favorite limited-edition GS cookies.

This cake is very simple. It’s my favorite chocolate cake base (thanks, back of the Hershey cocoa container!) covered with an equally easy icing and chopped Thin Mints. I think the most labor-intensive part of this baking experience was chopping the Thin Mints. Be sure you dump even the crumbled insides of the Thin Mints on the cake, by the way. It really adds to you topping.

When all is said and done, we always come back to the desserts we loved as children. I am a sheet cake devotee and don’t plan on changing that love anytime soon. Thanks for the birthday cakes, Mommy!

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool completely. When the cake is cool, prepare the glaze. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan with the butter and 2 tablespoons of water. When it's melted, take the pot off the heat and stir in the powdered sugar. Add the remaining tablespoons of water and stir until smooth.

Allow the glaze to thicken for about 15 minutes. When it's a little thicker, pour the glaze over the cake. Immediately sprinkle the chopped Thin Mints on top Let the glaze set.

I fulfill many roles in life: wife, mother, teacher, everlasting learner.
This site is dedicated to one role that expresses my creativity in ways that I find consistently challenging and rewarding: baker.
Inventing new ways to enhance food, especially if that food involves chocolate or peanut butter (or both!), is a passion of mine. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you.

My birthday cake is kind of a problem every year. You see, I am the family cake baker. So when it comes time for someone to provide a cake for me, there’s usually a debacle of some kind.

This year was no different. My husband tried really hard to get my favorite Baskin Robbins cake, but they now have some non-functioning system where you can only order a cake online, except it doesn’t work. He tried everything. Calling, going in, ordering online. Nobody would let him get a friggin’ cake. So I wound up baking my own. But that’s okay, because then I know it’s perfect!

With all due respect, that’s a pile of $#!*. Just not true at all, I’m afraid. The darkest hour is 9:30 PM when your kids have gone to bed and you wanted to watch episodes of Cake Boss but you can’t because you’re in piping hell. The cake isn’t looking right, melted frosting is leaking out of the wrong side of the piping bag into your hair, and you feel nothing but deep despair.

First of all, I MISS SEX AND THE CITY. Second, I volunteer to take any and all mint things off your hands, especially anything and everything involving Thin Mints. Gotta make this one!Kate @ Framed Cooks recently posted…Shrimp Barley Risotto with Peas

Hahaha! I DO remember that episode of Sex and the City! And it’s so true.. a sheet cake is dangerous stuff to have around! Love this sheet cake, Mir! The GS thin mints here are genius! My hubs and mom are huuuuge fans of that cookie, so I’m willing to bet they would polish this sheet cake off in about .5 seconds! Cheers, doll!Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Cinnamon Maple Chia Seed Pudding with Bananas Foster Topping

You are right on…we do come back to the desserts we loved as children. I have such a soft spot for chocolate chocolate cake (Uncle Duncan, of course!), peanut butter cookies and lemon meringue pie. I don’t know the last time I had a GS cookie – but you’ve convinced me to grab a box! This cake is too good!annie@ciaochowbambina recently posted…Soul Snacks

Haha – I so remember that episode where Miranda made that chocolate cake – but, Mir, if I had this in front of me, I don’t think I’d be able to show much -if any- restrain! I adore the combo of mint and chocolate and I am a huge supporter of the fact that “The problem with a chocolate cake is that it’s simply too addictive”! 🙂Shashi at RunninSrilankan recently posted…Salted, Chocolate-Drenched, Spicy, Sweet Potato Fries

Can you believe that I’ve never seen a single episode of Sex in the City? I can certainly relate to the need to trash a chocolate cake with dish soap to stop myself from eating it all! I also love the simplicity of a sheet cake and this chocolate looks dangerous – especially with all those Thin Mints on top!

Mir, “Uncle Duncan” . . haha, I love it! that Sex and the City episode where Miranda bakes a chocolate cake? oh my gawd, loved that one. . and I have been there! having to throw cake away so I will stop eating it! crazy! I love this thin mint sheet cake! can’t go wrong with thin mints on top .. love this!!! this is a cake I would definitely not be able to resist!Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom recently posted…Cauliflower Pesto Toasts

Chocolate cakes are indeed way too addicting, Mir! I can’t speak for the Sex and the City episode (imagine that!), but I can say that chocolate cake is an ultimate weakness around here. And thin mints have been my favorite Girl Scout cookie since the beginning of time…so the combo is deadly! Well done…oh, and pass me a slice, please? 🙂David @ Spiced recently posted…Pulled Pork Tostadas

I am going to have dreams about this amazing frosting. What a delicious sheet cake. And I think you hit the sweet spot for a flakey moist cake. Pardon my rumbling stomach.Amanda recently posted…Chocolate Chip Molasses Blondies

Is it a need of more no of eggs while we double the weight of flour? Our joint family requires more no.thats why. I think egg for softness right? Or got any extra advantage of using in this recipe??Sneha recently posted…GATE 2016 Result.Check Here

If you need more cake, double the entire recipe. I wouldn’t advise doubling certain ingredients and not others, or you’ll throw off the whole cake. Eggs add moisture to the cake as well as texture. I wouldn’t leave them out or it’s just not the same recipe any more. Hope that helps!